Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:55:4
Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) - Senate Democrats successfully pushed their healthcare reform bill past its first floor vote, held during the pre-dawn hours of Monday in a bid to approve the bill by the Christmas recess despite unanimous Republican opposition. Democrats unveiled the new price tag of the amended bill on Saturday; the Congressional Budget Office said the measure without a public option would cost $871 billion.
By a party-line vote of 60-40, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed a cloture vote. The measure still needs a final vote before it is reconciled with the bill passed by the House last month, which has a government insurance plan. The merged legislation will then be sent to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law.
Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) had warned before the 1:00 am vote, "The only reason we are literally voting in the middle of the night on a 2,700-page bill we received just yesterday is because Democrats want to pass this legislation before the American people find out what is in it."
"They know the legislation would never pass if Americans first found out that its Medicare cuts will hurt seniors, its tax increases will kill jobs, its Medicaid expansion will force states to raise taxes, and the chief actuary at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has said health care costs will rise even more if the bill becomes law," he added.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) released the amended version of his bill on Saturday upon receiving the new score from the CBO. The legislation still covers 94 percent of Americans by expanding care to 31 million uninsured, but the changes now allow it to reduce the deficit by $132 billion in the first decade and $1.3 trillion in the second decade.
The amended bill did not include provisions to let uninsured Americans between 55 and 64 years old enroll in Medicare. The proposal had been put forward to gain the support of all Democratic caucus members, particularly Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), for a government insurance plan. But Lieberman had threatened to vote against the bill if the Medicare provision wasn't dropped.
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) had also vowed to oppose a final bill if no changes are made ensuring no public funding is allowed for abortions. On Saturday, he announced his decision to support the measure after gaining tougher language against abortion, include a mandate that every state provide an insurance plan without abortion coverage.
"I know these limits on abortion are hard for some people to accept, and I respect those who disagree, but I would not have voted for this bill without them," Nelson had said.
Despite his support, however, the Nebraska senator made clear he may still oppose the final merged bill. version. "If the conference report has material changes to this agreement, I am reserving the right to vote against cloture," he said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) before the vote on Monday also decried the process Democrats had taken to try to pass their legislation. "No one imagined this is how this would end-a couple of cheap deals and a vote in the dead of the night. How did this happen? The final product is a mess and so is the process that brought us to vote."
But Reid expressed confidence his chamber would take its holiday break with the legislation passed.
"Senate Democrats are determined to not let the American people down because we know the cost of inaction," he said. "Almost 8,000 Americans lose their health insurance every day that we do not act. That's why I've been so disappointed with the 'do nothing, say anything' approach that most Senate Republicans have decided to take toward health reform. Despite their decision to bet on failure, Senate Democrats are committed to passing health legislation this week."
Senate Democrats have a 60-vote majority, the minimum required to overcome filibusters from Republicans, who have been united in opposing a bill they say harms small businesses and creates new taxes for American families.
The House early last month passed its own measure costing $894 billion, covers up to 96 percent of Americans and reduces the deficit by $30 billion over a decade. It includes a public option and an amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that prohibits federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when a mother's life is at risk.
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